Table of Contents

What is Ex Libris?

Who are we?

ELA is the national Canadian association of people who have spent an important part of their work life in libraries, archives, publishing houses, and adjunct fields, and who are now attracted to historical and current issues related to those institutions as well as to issues concerning the personal welfare of their fellow members. Our objectives, our constitution, our executive and other committees, our long range plan, and our history all reflect our long-standing and continuing concern for social and historical issues related to information services. We are a government recognized non-profit organization.

Membership Profile

The Ex Libris Association's stated purpose is to provide a forum and serve as a voice for those interested in the history and current state of librarianship, Canadian libraries, and archives.

Membership is open to all interested parties, but is primarily drawn from the ranks of retired

librarians

library technicians

library consultants

archivists

records managers

information technologists

those who have worked or are working in or with libraries, archives, museums, etc.

Membership in Ex Libris might be of interest to

any who have worked in publishing enterprises

historians

genealogists

museologists

teachers

anyone interested in matters related to the collection, organization, preservation, and dissemination of recorded knowledge.

The Ex Libris Association seeks to contribute to an understanding of the history of Canadian libraries, archives, and publishing in order to support initiatives that further the availability of important documents and to bring attention to significant issues affecting the provision and advancement of information services in Canada and in developing countries.

Our goals

ELA goals and objectives remain constant in their focus on the collection, preservation and dissemination of materials, particularly historical documents, about information institutions and their workers. However as times change, our goals have broadened to exploit new technologies and to recognize new issues. The current expression of our goals is being revised and the new version will be given on this web site when it is completed.

The ELA board and the committees

Where is ELA headed?

ELA's organizational long range plan, updated on a regular basis, was designed to enable us to continue to adapt to change in a principled way.

ELA's origin and noteworthy events

Diane Henderson's overview of ELA's history describes the association's beginnings, events, and achievements that led to its growing presence as a national association with serious scholarly and social interests.

What are the benefits of ELA membership?

ELA members enjoy meeting other people of similar interests through our meetings, especially the annual general meeting and conference, through our projects, through this website, and through our newsletter, ELAN, which is free with membership.